An Easy Target
by GamingChiliHedgehog
Summary: ONE SHOT! Based on the song "Target" by MJQ and EmpathP. Miku befriends a guy named Frank, but little does she know that he will use her for his selfish ambitions.


Hatsune Miku always seems to have good friends by her side, but this one particular "friend" turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing. Spoilers! Let's call this dude, Frank. He's got brown eyes, pale skin, and brown hair. She met him as she browsed the manga section in the library. The two bonded on the spot and started meeting each other every Thursday. Frank was a real comedian; he cracked all kinds of jokes and pop culture references that made Miku smile.

A year goes by and he starts meeting her at her place. Frank already has a girlfriend and doesn't plan on cheating. Miku wasn't sure on her ideal lover at the moment; she's 16 sure, but she doesn't feel ready for that kind of commitment.

The boy turned out to be an artist of a comic book series starring a fox and a snake. She fell in love with the cute characters and how they interacted with each other. Frank was curious as to what Miku does. "I sing." she answered. To demonstrate, she sung one of her popular songs, "World is Mine". Frank was in awe of her talent! It's like she can never miss a beat.

One day back at the library, Frank started to discuss something that made Miku feel uneasy. What is this topic? It's about this man on the internet that has made a fool of himself and is basically a living meme. He went on and on about it, shared a documentary about him, and so on.

"At least I'm not like him!" he ranted. "How does one FAIL so miserably?!"

"Uh?" Miku didn't know how to respond so she remained silent.

The rant continued for 30 solid minutes until she could leave. Poor Miku felt drained, exhausted like she just worked an 8 hour shift at her local McDonald's. She took a shower, hoping to wash away the venom from her body. But suffice to say, she couldn't. Maybe a goodnight's rest will help?

When the sun rose, Rin and Len stopped by. Miku felt energy returning to her body; she knew these two would not bring her down or rant about somebody they don't personally know. While she didn't bring up Frank in a negative way, she did tell them that he's one of her new friends. The twins eagerly wanted to see him, maybe get the chance to know him. Reluctantly, Miku agreed.

Frank stopped by with a rather large bag; it contained an old gaming console. One of which Miku has never heard of. That console is the Neo Geo! Games like Magician Lord, Fatal Fury, Blue's Journey, and Metal Slug were all new to her. Sad to say, only two people could play, but the twins were okay with watching. The first game they played was Metal Slug; a run and gun game like Cuphead.

Miku can play games well, but not enough to impress Frank. In fact, he was livid when she couldn't beat the first boss of the game. Rin and Len were away when this happened, how unfortunate. The twins were getting snacks while this episode occurred.

"You suck at life!" Frank said in anger and disappointment. Miku wanted to cry, but she refused to show further weakness. It was fortunate that he had his eyes on the bag rather than Miku resisting to cry. The agony she felt in her chest didn't make it easy, but it was doable. She's no stranger to this sort of thing; she's dealt with them often when someone she holds close throws a fit of rage or say bad things to her.

With the next game in, Miku let her emotions take the back seat. Like a robot, she played with pixel perfect skill which amazed Frank. It seems Fatal Fury was a better choice than Metal Slug. Knowing he was at ease, made her at ease. Rin and Len enjoyed watching the two beat the crap out of each other on the game, along with Frank's one liners.

As the sun set, Frank went home along with Rin and Len. Miku put on a smile that would fool anyone, even the two of her closest friends. When the door behind her shunt, she knelt down to the floor and sobbed. Her emotions were on an all time low. Why isn't she sharing this with Rin or Len? Miku is scared; his presence brings about authority much like her father. His words and actions are like bullets to her heart. The very fact he brings down others he doesn't personally know raised a red flag, but her mind was ignorant to this truth.

The next day, Miku went to see Luka, hoping to see someone other than Frank for a change. But surprise, surprise, he's here. To her surprise, he's Luka's boyfriend. Wait! When and how did they meet? At high school, how cliche!

Miku felt happy to see Frank, but at the same time she felt dread. He has the tendency to go on and on about something without allowing anyone to give their thoughts unless asked. Thankfully this time around, the three of them watched anime, shopped at a local game store, and had dinner at a fancy restaurant. This made Miku feel overjoyed! For once, she genuinely felt happy. Sure, her bank account was crying for help, but she was happy.

At last, Miku returned home with a smile that was authentic. She basked in this feeling for as long as she could by repeating the adventure she had with her friends. Tomorrow would be another great day of watching anime, driving around town in Frank's convertible, and playing games. Perhaps Miku was wrong to think he's a bad guy? Not quite, when she shared some ideas she had, Frank jumped on board saying, "You should include me in it!" Wait, what? Is this guy for real?

Miku tried to decline him in a respectful manner, but her persisted. "But I wanted to do this together as friends." The way he said it, sounded like a child begging for a cookie. She rolled her eyes and accepted. The project they were doing together was a top 10 list, one of which Miku had planned for sometime. However, with Frank on board, he manipulated the script in such a way that would suit his "needs". Miku never objected, she was too afraid to at this point.

Recording was an absolute nightmare! The computer fried, deleting the recording in the process so they had to do it all over again. Next came editing which dragged on for almost 8 hours straight. Miku felt tired, drained, and wanted to get this project done and out of the way. When it was finished, Frank was pleased for the most part, but pleased enough to not throw a hissy fit.

Despite the fact he's pushy, Miku continued to share her ideas to him as it was the only way to communicate with him. One idea of which sparked major interest in Frank, a video game! While she does have her own games, she wanted to make her own to share to the world. Knowing this, he bought a software that would aid Miku in making this game real. The software in question, however, was not user friendly. Therefore, she was overwhelmed.

But Miku pushed herself to learn the ins and outs of the program. Yet nothing was sticking to her brain, except stress. Thankfully for the whole month of December, she was able to work at her own pace and take it slow. It was also during this time she had a yearly checkup at the doctor's where she'd learn something about her physical condition.

"You have an irregular heartbeat." the nurse said. "Did you have any sort of caffeine before you came here?"

"No." Miku answered.

"Very well, we'll have to run tests to make sure it's nothing serious. But fret not, you are still young so I would not worry too much."

"Thank you."

Regardless, the tests were done and Miku was diagnosed with PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). This explains the chest pains she's had from time to time and why she's almost always tired. Her heart is working overtime! With this newfound knowledge, Miku confides to Frank about the software and agrees that she could resort to a more user friendly program by the name of RPG Maker MV. She did, however, keep her condition a secret from him.

As Frank worked on the art, Miku wrote the story, programmed the game, and composed the music. It was all coming together as each piece complimented each other. She felt like this could be a possible goal, that was, until she ran into countless bugs. Miku's programming skills were sub par, along with composition. She can sing, but not compose music herself. This made the girl even more stressed. To top it all off, Frank is putting in more work than she is.

By putting the game aside for the time being, Miku decided to go back to regular play dates with Frank and Luka. The two attended a local festival that had games and alcohol. Miku of course has no interest in alcohol and she's underage. Meiko on the other hand, was guzzling pint after pint. She won the game of drinking the most beer as the other contestants passed out. In fact, all of the games were alcohol themed, except for a yodeling contest to which Luka tried to get Frank on board, but he refused.

While Luka was dancing, Frank started talking to Miku about the game. She just listened and nodded, with the occasional answer to his questions or ideas. What felt like an eternity was only a mere 15 minutes. She felt relieved to go back to Luka's to watch some Youtube videos. The one they watched was of the "meme guy" failing at Metal Gear. Miku felt out of place, so she decided to give some funny commentary. At least, she thought she could.

"This is fine." Miku said, giggling a bit.

"Don't ever reference 'this is fine' ever again." Frank said rather angry.

This made her shut up through the rest of the video, unless she was asked a question. Miku couldn't wait to go back home anymore, so she gave Luka a signal to help end the date. This girl was a life saver! Miku felt so tired, so weak and frail.

Next week, the three ate at a different fancy restaurant for a change. One of which Miku has never been to. Everything was going great, the food tasted good, and the conversations were lively among the group. That was, until the bill. It was mixed up; some food they didn't order was on the receipt and this made Frank very upset.

"Sorry." Luka said, very apologetically.

"Apology not accepted." he said with a look of fury and disappointment.

Miku was at a loss for words! Just why is this man so mean?! Luka is his fricking girlfriend who he claims to love, and this is who he treats her?! They've been together for a year now, but that matters not to Miku. What matters is that Luka gets the proper treatment from her boyfriend or anyone for that matter.

Heavy rain poured onto the three as they stormed to the car. Frank was silent the entire way to Luka's home, as he was still mad at the restaurant. Miku felt her chest ache with sheer sorrow, making it hard not to cry. Frank didn't take notice thankfully. When they arrived back at Luka's however, his girlfriend made a rather bold statement in regards to his behavior.

"What you said back there really hurt me." Luka said, almost in tears. "I thought you loved me, Frank!" With that, she closed the door to the bathroom behind her. Frank lowered his head in shame, then out of anger he started hitting the back of his head. Immediately, Miku took both of his arms and embraced him, hoping that would help, but it didn't.

"Get off of me!" he demanded. Miku did as he told her, feeling even more pain than before. She couldn't hide her tears anymore, they poured out from her eyes without warning. While the pain in her chest was almost unbearable, she resisted to hold her hand there. If Frank knew of this, he'd feel even more guilt.

Once Luka returned from her bathroom break, Frank opened up about himself. His mom is abusive to him verbally on almost a daily basis. The environment he lives in is toxicating, negative, and he wants out. Frank's mom in fact, chased Luka with a shovel to beat the life out of her. Yikes! She doesn't like Luka that's for sure. The two felt pity and attempted to comfort him. Frank has thought about suicide from time to time, along with Miku. The stress of life can be a burden, especially if you deal with depression.

After an emotionally draining moment, the gang decided to watch a movie. The whole time, Miku felt nothing. It's like she doesn't have emotions anymore. Was this her mind trying to "defend" her? Was she in so much emotional pain that she's gone numb?

"Hey, Miku." Frank said, getting her attention. "There's this game dev conference happening at the end of the month and I'd like for you to come along. Promise?" Without a word, he forced her into a pinky promise. Miku had no say, she had to go. On that day, she was going to see her cousin, Hachune Miku. Yeah, she's more of a parody character, but just roll with it. It's fanfiction!

On the week of seeing Hachune, Frank stopped by to remind Miku of the conference. All she could do was stand there, with her head lowered to avoid eye contact. "No, I can't go." she said. It took all of her courage to say those words, but she had to find out about Frank's true character.

"But you promised!" he whined.

"She didn't promise anything." Hachune said.

The rest of what Frank said left Miku in tears, she couldn't bear it anymore. "Stop! That's enough! Leave, I'm tired of being a doormat." At last, Miku stood up for herself. Hachune was proud of her cousin's bravery.

"Fine, it seems I've messed with the hornets nest too much." With that, Frank left and Miku wailed in pain. Hachune held her cousin as she cried, whatever it took, she'd comfort the sweet 16 year old. Miku felt sick as her heart and throat tightened. The discomfort made her almost want to vomit, but she couldn't. Her body trembled with her racing heart that felt like it could shatter inside her chest. How it's still beating surprised her. Every breath was valuable to Miku because she was choking on her sorrow. She felt close to the edge, like she could lose her sanity at any given minute.

Hachune did her best to make the rest of the day fun for Miku, but she was still traumatized from her friend's words. Call her weak, but you'd be devastated too if that happened to you. This relationship is doing more harm than anything. Should she end it?

The next day, Frank apologized. Of course he did, but it's not enough to erase the fact this guy hurt Miku. She forgave him, hoping it would ease the tension. To make it up to her, Frank brought over the Sega Saturn to play. It was fun, but she didn't feel much of anything while playing or watching. As a matter of fact, she just wanted to run away, escape from this nightmare. One way of doing so was killing herself, but if she did that, she'd hurt her family and friends that way. What other options does she have though?

Every day with him, she's felt less like herself. Miku can't take much more of this; every word has been either critical or hateful. Then to force her into promising to not just about going to the conference, but to move out of Japan with him. She wants to stay where her friends and family are. Why move in with someone she hardly knows? Frank only talks about the "meme man", Miku's game, and facts about gaming. His words and opinions are hardly his; he takes the popular opinion of others and claims it as his. Aside from a certain platforming lizard. Frank goes on and on about the history of those games and how underrated they are.

Miku can't take it! She's tired and wants to sleep in peace. It's not a matter of his interests, it's a matter of his attitude. Miku has to draw the line somewhere, so she went to go see a professional about this matter. To have someone give an unbiased opinion about Frank.

The counselor suggest that she sets boundaries, learn to say "no" and to stand up for herself. Miku has always been the one to help those in need and Frank is one of them. Is he? Or is he just using her? After telling her counselor about the game, she recommends that Miku makes it however she wants it. She is the boss of her own art.

Upon discussing the game with Frank, he nods in agreement with allowing Miku to take more charge about the game. This excites her, until he breaks his word by shoving more of his ideals into the script. It's coming to the point where she no longer wants to work on this game. In fact, Frank only wanted to "help" so he can get the experience of working on a game as the artist. Knowing this, Miku drafted a message to send to him. She hesitated for a week, then two weeks, and now three weeks. After going over the message countless times, Miku presses send.

Miku felt a sense of relief and soon after, she got her emotions back. They recovered as time went on, but somewhere in her heart, she felt like she did the wrong thing. Luka sent an email to Miku regarding Frank; he wouldn't shut up about her, wishing he could turn back time. To her surprise, Miku felt nothing. She wanted nothing of this bully anymore.

Through this, Miku learned that even the nicest of people can be jerks. They put on a facade to hide their true intentions; to use someone who can't say "no". Remember my friends, stand up for yourselves when someone tries to use you for their own selfish gain. Let no one bully you or abuse you. You are every bit as important as the person using you. If you are dealing with bullies of any kind, don't be afraid to reach out and talk to someone you can trust. And if there is no one in your family or friend group you trust, consider a counselor. It helped me and it can help you. Don't do what Miku, or rather, what I, the writer did and wait for the person to change. Or rather, don't try and change the person. Only they can change themselves. Stop trying to play God! It's okay to admit that you can't do something, that is in fact stronger than trying to do something for pride's sake. Surround those that truly care for you, people that love you for who you are. Not everyone will love you or agree with you, admit that and you will feel true freedom.

**A/N: Yes my friends, this is based on a true story. I did place the events out of order, but the context is all there. After the first year of my friendship with someone, I began to realize their true colors. But my mind was ignorant to the truth. Oh yeah, this is based on the song "Target" done by MJQ and EmpathP. Check it out! It's kinda funny how that song relates so much to what I had to put up with. This "friend" always seemed to know how to hurt me and manipulate me into doing things I didn't want to do. Thankfully I didn't do anything bad, I just changed my works of art for their sake. But a true friend would never do that, they'd cheer for you and believe in you. That's all I wanted, someone to give me positive energy, but that person failed. Speak no ill will towards this person, they have a life of their own and deserve a good life like the rest of us. I am still sort of recovering, but by the end of the year, I should be at my 100%. Before you say anything, this isn't to get you to pity me, it's to teach you about toxic relationships and why you should avoid them. Anyway, I rambled on long enough. Take care and God bless!**


End file.
